Dissertation
Perceptions, practices and presentations of employability: How graduates navigate the education-to-employment transition
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/00953
Abstract
Globally, an emphasis on developing graduate employability has transformed the education-to-graduate employment (E2GE) transition, and the purpose of higher education. The experience of students studying generalist degrees such as business are complex, as these courses of study do not lead to a specific, well-defined occupational outcome, which may influence how they prepare for post-graduation employment. This ambiguity may also influence the length of time to gain graduate employment compared to those who finish vocationally-specific degrees, how these graduates understand and practice their employability, and how they prepare for post-graduation employment. Given the large numbers of students completing generalist degrees, a greater understanding of how they approach the E2GE transition is needed. This thesis explores how the employability perceptions and practices of business near-graduates influence their performance of the ‘ideal graduate’ − one characterised by employers and universities as combining diligence, engagement, productivity, commitment and compliance during the E2GE transition. Using a longitudinal mixed-methods design deploying surveys, analysis of job-seeking artefacts and semi-structured interviews, this thesis gathered data from across Australia and applied theoretical pluralism to investigate graduates’ experiences of the interactions between the individual, their university and the labour market. Data was collected pre- and post-graduation to understand how near-graduates perceive, practice, and ultimately present their employability through these interactions. This thesis found that business near-graduates hold positive perceptions of their employability and anticipate a smooth E2GE transition. However, the complexity of the phenomenon means that self-assessments are limited and not always accurately calibrated to the ultimate experience of the transition. Near-graduates’ positive perceptions are shaped by the varied and diverse employability-enhancing practices they undertake to develop graduate capital and signal their value to future employers. While individual practices differ in intensity and focus, the universal nature of participation in such activities suggests an internalised understanding that merely possessing a degree is insufficient for a successful transition. Despite this, confusion exists around the value of such practices and how these contribute to graduate employability. Graduates acutely recognise the need to present themselves as motivated, engaged and enthusiastic potential ‘ideal workers’ to graduate employers both in-person and online, shaped by their graduate capital and self-perceived employability. A new understanding and definition of graduate employability is presented that captures the multifaceted and dynamic nature of the phenomenon. The findings reveal that the E2GE transition is an inherently complex phenomenon that involves interrelated and dialectic components. Namely, how an individual perceives their employability influences the practices they undertake to enhance it. Both perceptions and practices shape how individuals present their employability to gain and maintain graduate employment. By combining perceptions, practices and presentations of graduate employability, this thesis determines that the E2GE transition is a fluid and individualised process that commences well before graduation, and presents a typology of graduate profiles, which can be used to influence the support provided to enhance individual E2GE transitions.
Details
- Title
- Perceptions, practices and presentations of employability: How graduates navigate the education-to-employment transition
- Authors
- Tanya Weiler - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
- Contributors
- Deanna Grant-Smith (Principal Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesGail Crimmins (Co-Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesMelissa Innes (Co-Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/00953
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991153240202621
- Output Type
- Dissertation
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